Bobbie Trevarthen, 68, of New Smyrna Beach, said that for several nights in a row last week, various animals vanished from her farm. In the mornings, she would notice the pens closed, but unlocked.

“[The pens are] usually full of chickens and there was nothing there,” Trevarthen told WKMG. “I don’t know how they got in. I have no idea how they did it. About four or five nights in a row, they come in and help themselves to more.”

Trevarthen, who has been breeding livestock since 1965, said she lives for her animals.

“They’re my kids — they’re my babies,” she said. "I have a lot of health issues and these guys are what I wake up for in the morning, you know?"

One of the nine ducks that was stolen has been her pet for more than 10 years.

She also has goats on her property, but none of them have been stolen, she said.

She told Volusia County deputies that in total, the stolen livestock was worth about $2,000 and she fears the thief is either selling the animals or eating them.